Protective pads, such as arm and elbow pads, are used widely to protect a sportsman's arm and elbow during contact or highly physical sports. Players engaged in a wide variety of sports use elbow pads of one design or another in field games such as football, hockey, lacrosse, field hockey, and rugby as well as individual or team sports such as the luge, toboggan, skiing and rock climbing.
The most common elbow pads are stand alone pads. A stand alone pad utilizes one or more elastic bands incorporated into the pad design that encase the arm and hold the pad in place through friction. Other types of stand alone pads use hook and loop straps attached to each side of the pad which are used to cinch the pad against the arm. Other types of stand alone pads use an inner layer of neoprene rubber to create a tackier surface to prevent slippage. These devices are lightweight, relatively inexpensive and easily adjusted by the wearer. Over time the pad tends to adapt itself to the wearer or the wearer becomes accustomed to that particular set of pads.
However, each type of these elbow pads present problems. While all of the types of stand alone pads work well prior to competition, all of them will inevitably slide down the player's arm due to perspiration, stretching of the fastening mechanism, physical inertia and player contact. This slippage is a distraction from the game requiring the wearer to constantly adjust the pad during play.